


It Happens Sometimes

by phantisma



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-20
Updated: 2006-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-13 11:58:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/503318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantisma/pseuds/phantisma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance meeting in a crowded mall at Christmas, a flirtatious Willow, a little magic and some kissing over mochas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Happens Sometimes

Samantha Carter wandered the suburban mall, feeling extremely out of place. Give her a military base anywhere in the world or an alien planet and she was comfortable. Hand her a weapon, or a puzzling alien technology, she knew how to handle herself.

This whole Christmas shopping thing had become so foreign to her. It seemed like decades had passed since she’d done this last. She juggled a half dozen bags as she tried to figure her way past the throng of kids and parents crowding the festive display declaring pictures with Santa.

Deciding that it wasn’t worth trying, she turned to find another way around to get to the Disney store that she could see up ahead. Her niece wanted Disney princess stuff. There was a muffled, “Oh,” and then Sam felt the impact of another body, felt herself flailing, her bags scattering. She ended up on the cold tile floor, in a pile of soft body parts and Christmas green.

“Oh…sorry…so very sorry…”

Sam sat up and smiled. The young woman tried to adjust, pushing red hair out of her face and taking stock of their situation before she grinned. “I’m Willow…and I’m a complete clod.”

“No, it’s okay.” Sam smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Sam.”

Willow managed to get to her feet first and reached down to help Sam off the floor. “I lost my footing there on the back of the…Santa…thing.”

Sam looked aside at the back of the display where another young woman was peeking out. “You okay, Wills?”

Willow nodded and brushed dust off the butt of the rather adorable elf costume she was wearing. “Just making friends and bruising people, Buff. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Sam set about gathering her things. She counted her bags, then looked up at Willow when one of them was missing. The red-head held it out to her with a smile. “Jewelry? Someone’s getting a nice Christmas present.”

Sam couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah…it’s for…my…Cassandra.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “She is the daughter of a friend.”

Willow nodded. “My mother should have friends like you.”

Sam laughed in spite of herself. “We’re close since her mother died.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“No…it’s okay.”  
“Hey, I’m on break and I was going to head to the food court for some seriously bad for me chocolaty mocha coffee goodness. Can I buy you one to make up for my clod like sprawling all over you and your Christmas booty?”

Sam chuckled and shook her head. “I really should finish—“

Willow pouted at her and slung on arm through hers. “It will all be there when we’re done…and this mess will have cleared itself up, since Santa goes on break too in about twenty minutes.”

Before she knew what was happening, Sam was walking arm in arm with the red head toward the food court. Two mochas and cinnamon scones later, they were seated in hard plastic chairs outside the Starbucks.

“So…an elf?” Sam asked, her eyes sweeping over the green and red striped tights under the green mini skirt. She chastised herself and reminded herself this girl was only a little older than Cassandra.

Willow grinned. “If my mother could see me now.”

“Oh?”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Jewish…not religious, but my mother wouldn’t understand.”

“A job’s a job, right?” Sam asked, sipping on her mocha. It was entirely too sweet and Daniel would dismiss it as not even coffee, but somehow it suited the company.

Willow picked at her scone. “I’m helping out a friend…and it’s for the kids, right?” She looked around them, then back at Sam. “So…Sam…what do you do?”

“I’m an astrophysicist.”

Willow’s eyes got big, really big. “Serious? That is so cool!”

She had to chuckle. The younger woman was so earnest. “Yeah, I work for the government.”

“See…I took you for just another pretty face…cause…well, look at you—but beauty and brains. I may be in love.”

Sam felt herself blushing. It had been a while since anyone had called her pretty. She felt a little funny considering Willow was quite a bit younger…and Sam hadn’t even thought about another woman since Jenny in college.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Sam looked up and shook her head. “No, sorry…just thinking.”

The look in Willow’s eyes was far older than she was, twinkling with merriment. “Would it be wrong of me to hope you were thinking about me?”

Again, Sam felt herself smiling. “You…are beautiful Willow.” She closed her eyes. She didn’t just say that out loud. But, Willow was beaming at her, so she must have. “And entirely too young for me.”

“Pshh. Age is nothing…well unless one of us is a minor, and I know I’m not.”

“I—I’m old enough to be your mother.”

“Maybe I like older women.” Willow wiggled her eyebrows and reached across the table to grab Sam’s hand. “I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m not normally this forward.”

Sam looked at her like she didn’t quite believe that, especially when Willow lifted her hand and kissed it. “Seriously. I’m usually the shy one. It must be you.”

“Me?”

Willow nodded seriously, still holding Sam’s hand. “Sometimes that’s just how it works.”

“What?” Sam cleared her throat. “How what works?”

“Magic.” Willow’s eyes sparkled. Everything around them seemed to slow and stop until they were alone. Silence permeated the once noisy mall. Sam looked up, around them, then back to Willow.

“There’s no such…thing…”

Yet, there they sat, the only moving things in the world. “How did you…do that?”

Willow’s tongue slipped out to caress Sam’s palm. “I didn’t.” Willow said, her concentration completely on Sam. “Not alone…it happens sometimes…never with someone I just met.”

Sam turned to Willow, wanting to pull away, wanting to figure out why she felt so flushed, wanting to kiss her…the last seemed to be the most logical somehow…though it wasn’t and some part of her rational mind knew that.

“You’re thinking too much.” Willow whispered, her face close, her green eyes big enough to drown in. “Just…let it happen.” Their lips brushed lightly.

“Let what happen?” Sam breathed across Willow’s lips.

“Magic.” Willow’s mouth tasted like cinnamon and coffee and Sam felt electricity race through her as she put her hands into that red hair. Her body remembered this, even if she’d denied it since Pete…and before Pete…since…she felt a hand on her thigh as Willow deepened the kiss, her other hand on the back of Sam’s neck.

“Wow.” Sam said when they finally broke the kiss.

“I’ll say.” Willow agreed. Her hand slid along Sam’s thigh.

“I—don’t know what to say.”

“Tell me your free for dinner.” Willow said with a grin.

Around them, the world resumed, snapped forward, suddenly surrounding them in sound. Willow frowned as she sat back. “Does that mean no?”

Sam shook her head. This wasn’t happening. She must have hit her head when she fell. Hit her head and dreaming…or hallucinating. “I, ah, I’m having dinner with my brother and his family.”

Willow pouted and Sam wanted to suck on that lip. Before she realized it, she was doing just that. Willow made a very satisfied sound before Sam pulled away. “I should go.” Sam rubbed her forehead with one hand. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You seemed to do it pretty well.” Willow said with a grin and Sam laughed again.

“You know what I mean.” Sam stood and started to gather her bags.

“Okay, I do…but, I don’t want you to go.” Willow stood to help her. “I want to give you something.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“Sure I do. You’re astrophysicist Sam whose kisses taste like cinnamon and chocolate, has a Cassandra and you don’t really like mochas…but you do like me.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “You don’t even know my last name…and I’m old enough to be your mother.”

“The age thing again.” Willow nodded. “Well…there’s not much to be done for it…we just have to accept it.”

“Accept it?”

“Yes. Well, that and go hide in the employees’ locker room and make out.” Willow said with a grin.

“Aren’t you one naughty little elf?”

Willow’s smile broadened and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, Sam…you have no idea.” Willow stood up and leaned over to kiss her again. “Here, my number…in case you change your mind.”

Sam looked down at the blank card and watched Willow’s finger caress it, numbers appearing as her finger stroked the paper. “Magic.” Willow whispered in her ear, then kissed her and moved to the other ear. “Naughty…Magic…”

Sam watched her go, miniskirt swishing with the movement of her hips, and licked her lips, thinking that dinner with her brother and his kids would be far less interesting than dinner with Willow…who’s last name she hadn’t even asked for…but who she was going to be thinking about for a long time.

Stuff like this didn’t happen to her, as a general rule. Sam touched her lips, still tingling from Willow’s last kiss, remembering her words. It happens sometimes. With a smile, Sam pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number on the card. “So…where was this employees’ locker room?”


End file.
